Help Wanted
Help Wanted is a SpongeBob SquarePants episode from season one. In this episode, SpongeBob gets a job at the Krusty Krab. Characters *French Narrator (debut) *SpongeBob SquarePants (debut) *Gary the Snail (debut) *Patrick Star (debut) *Squidward Tentacles (debut) *Eugene H. Krabs (debut) *Bus Driver (debut) *Anchovies (debut) Synopsis A narrator with a French accent introduces SpongeBob SquarePants, a sponge who lives in a pineapple under the sea. SpongeBob's foghorn alarm clock rings, waking him up in the morning. He tells his pet, Gary the Snail that he must be in good shape because this particular day is important. He jumps off his diving board and then lands in his pants. He goes to his exercise room and lifts a bar-weight (which is actually two stuffed animals with a metal stick). Afterwards, SpongeBob declares that he is ready. He runs outside and down the street to the Krusty Krab, repeatedly saying, "I'm ready" while his neighbor and best friend, Patrick Star, cheers him on. SpongeBob sees the "Help Wanted" sign on the Krusty Krab window. He then declares that he is ready to obtain the job, which he has dreamed of for years; however, he loses his confidence when he nears the Krusty Krab. Patrick confronts him and quickly convinces him to go for the job, and SpongeBob does so, thereby declaring he is ready three more times. Squidward Tentacles, the head cashier, is cleaning the window (his head is drawn and "loser" is written above it). Squidward sees that SpongeBob wants the job, and so he runs into the Krusty Krab in an attempt to warn the restaurant-owner Eugene H. Krabs that SpongeBob does not qualify for the job. However, SpongeBob walks into the Krusty Krab and asks for the job before Squidward can say anything. To get rid of him, Mr. Krabs tells SpongeBob that he can join the Krusty Krew if he passes a "test"–which is to obtain a "hydrodynamic spatula with port and starboard attachments and a turbo-drive" (essentially sending SpongeBob on a wild goose chase) and to not come back until he gets one. SpongeBob then leaves trying to find one with Squidward and Mr. Krabs laughing and believing that SpongeBob won't find the spatula and will never come back. As soon as SpongeBob leaves, 5 buses drop off a large crowd of hungry Anchovies. They barge into the Krusty Krab, demanding Krabby Patties. Trying to keep things in order, Squidward complains about their behavior, and then requests that there be a neat, single-file line in front of the cash register. The anchovies furiously protest, forming a riot of angry anchovies that resembles a stormy sea. This forces Squidward and Mr. Krabs to climb up the mast. Thinking that it is the end for them, they say their goodbyes. Suddenly, SpongeBob arrives, flying with his "hydrodynamic spatula with port and starboard attachments and a turbo-drive" (according to SpongeBob, the Barg’N-Mart only had one in stock). Squidward and Mr. Krabs are flabbergasted at the fact that SpongeBob actually passed the "test." SpongeBob flies into the kitchen and, as fast as he can, satisfies the needs of the angry anchovies. When the last anchovy gets his Krabby Patty, Mr. Krabs is delighted. He immediately hires SpongeBob, by welcoming him to the Krusty Krew and giving him a nametag. Then, Mr. Krabs calls for three cheers for SpongeBob (in which Squidward unenthusiastically replies "Hooray" all three times). Even though Squidward is upset, Mr. Krabs doesn't listen to him because he wants to go and count the "booty" he had just made in his office. At the end, Patrick walks in and asks for a Krabby Patty. SpongeBob then flies into the kitchen and makes a huge stream of Krabby Patties, which hit Patrick and sends him flying out of the restaurant. Squidward, in a sarcastic and sing-song tone, tells Mr. Krabs to come see his new employee. Production Development While pitching the cartoon to Nickelodeon executives, Stephen Hillenburg donned a Hawaiian shirt, brought along an "underwater terrarium with models of the characters", and Hawaiian music to set the theme. The setup was described by Nick executive Eric Coleman as "pretty amazing".[1] When given money and 2 weeks to write the pilot episode ("Help Wanted"), Hillenburg, Derek Drymon, and Nick Jennings returned with – described by Nickelodeon official Albie Hecht – "a performance I wish I had on tape".[2] Although described as stressful by executive producer Derek Drymon, the pitch went "very well"; Kevin Kay and Hecht had to step outside because they were "exhausted from laughing", making the cartoonists worried.[2] SpongeBob SquarePants aired its first episode "Help Wanted / Reef Blower / Tea at the Treedome" on May 1,1999, following the Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards.[3][4][5] The series later made its "official" debut on July 17, 1999 with the second episode "Bubblestand / Ripped Pants."[3][4][5] Animation The pilot episode was made and recorded in 1997, so it has many differences to the rest of the series. However, the original version of the episode had many other minor differences corrected later. For example, this is the only episode where SpongeBob's bed is on the right (excluding "Pickles" and "Employee of the Month"), and his blanket is solid blue, as opposed to purple with flowers. Differences in voices are another example. SpongeBob's voice is slightly lower and Patrick's is deeper. Designs and colors are also different. For example, SpongeBob has fewer holes than in newer episodes, Mr. Krabs' eyelids are bright pink opposed to red, Patrick's pants are in a slightly different color, Squidward's complexion is paler, his laugh is different, the comedic "splat" sound is different, and his nose doesn't puff in and out when he laughs. Gary's eye pupils are red dots and his irises are smaller, he lacks eyelashes, and he has a lower tone of voice in the "meow" – although Tom Kenny claims to use a new "meow" for each episode (where Gary is shown meowing). The animation used for the bubble transitions are much choppier as well. Squidward also appears to have rows of bamboo poles behind his house. Differences in SpongeBob's house are also present in this episode, but not in others, such as there is only one window in the front. Also, SpongeBob and Patrick are a little bit fatter. Also, SpongeBob's alarm clock has a different ship horn sound than his alarm clock in later episodes. The changes were made when the series officially aired. Music "Livin' in the Sunlight, Lovin' in the Moonlight" was used in this episode, but due to copyright issues, the pilot episode was not on the season 1 home video. The episode appeared as bonus feature on The Complete 3rd Season, and 10 Happiest Moments (DVD). The episode also features SpongeBob singing a Barg'N-Mart jingle. ‣''' Hawaiian Train - Victor Cavini card '''‣ Aloha Oe - Hans Haider, Queen Lili'uokalani opening ‣''' Honolulu March - Hans Haider the big day, [http://spongebob.wikia.com/wiki/Gary_the_Snail Gary."] '''‣ The Land is Ours - Gregor F. Narholz [ SpongeBob lifting weights] ‣''' Grand Orchestral Fanfare - Gregor F. Narholz lifting weights '''‣ Honolulu March - Hans Haider ready, I'm ready, I'm ready..." ‣''' Next Door Neighbour - Rick Cassman, Vyv's Hope-Scott [http://spongebob.wikia.com/wiki/Krusty_Krab Krusty Krab, home of the Krabby Patty."] '''‣ The Land is Ours - Gregor F. Narholz Patrick encourages SpongeBob] ‣''' Grand Orchestral Fanfare - Gregor F. Narholz a big yellow cube with holes?" '''‣ Honolulu March - Hans Haider runs to the Krusty Krab ‣''' Oyster Girls - Robert Alexander White to come aboard, captain!" '''‣ The Rake Hornpipe - Robert Alexander White Krabs gives SpongeBob a test] ‣''' Bartmania (a) - Guy Moon sounded like hatch doors." '''‣ Menace from the Deep - Robert Cornford smell... a kind of smelly smell." ‣''' Bartmania (a) - Guy Moon [anchovies rush in] '''‣ Death Trap - Gregor F. Narholz down the hatches, Mr. Squidward!" ‣''' Battle at Sea - Johnny Pearson Mr. Squidward! Climb!" '''‣ Reach for the Stars - Richard A. Harvey returns ‣''' The Main Event - Gregor F. Narholz spatula revealed '''• Living in the Sunlight, Loving in the Moonlight - Tiny Tim of SpongeBob making Krabby Patties Release This episode was released on the following DVDs: (due to copyright issues, it wasn't released on the The Complete 1st Season box set.) *10 Happiest Moments (bonus) *The Complete 3rd Season (disc 3,bonus) *The First 100 Episodes (disc 1) This episode aired in Germany on August 23, 2002. Reception *As of October 29, 2013, The Internet Movie Database (IMDB) gives this episode a rating of 8.4/10 based on 280 ratings by users.[6] TV.com users give this episode a 8.6/10 based on 429 votes.[7] *This episode ranks #1 on Tom Kenny's list of Top 20 SpongeBob episodes on iTunes. *In fan-voted SpongeBob SquarePants marathons, "Help Wanted" was ranked #24 during the Best Day Ever event on November 9–10, 2006 and #6 during The Ultimate SpongeBob SpongeBash event on July 17–19, 2009. Trivia *SpongeBob had a pet scallop that he kept in a birdcage. This scallop can also be seen in "Missing Identity" and "Pineapple Fever." *This is one of the 7 episodes in which the 1986Paramount logo is plastered with the 2002 Paramountlogo. The others are "Squeaky Boots," "F.U.N.," "Squidward the Unfriendly Ghost," "Employee of the Month," "Karate Choppers," and "Rock Bottom." *Right before Squidward tells the anchovies to get in a "neat single-file line", one of them says, "Speak up!” *It is revealed that SpongeBob's first words were, "May I take your order?” *This episode premiered the same date as the 1999 Kids Choice Awards. *This is the first episode to air the same day as the Kids Choice Awards. The second was Krusty Towers, the third was Planet of the Jellyfish, and the fourth will be Kenny the Cat. *It is revealed that SpongeBob built a spatula out of toothpicks in wood shop. This also implies that SpongeBob and Patrick went to school together. *Normally, when SpongeBob walks, his shoes make a squeaky sound. However, in this episode, it cannot be heard. *This episode marks the series' debut as it is the pilot episode of the series. *If the viewer goes frame by frame, they can see that in the part were SpongeBob gets his clothes on, right before that he is really is naked, making this the first time the SpongeBob is naked on the show and the first time the viewers learn that he doesn't have a penis. *On September 7, 2013, there was a Live script reading with the voices at Universal Studios Hollywood for this episode. The live reading can be viewed here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZtjEqDkE6J0 Errors *Stephen Hillenburg in the "Written By" section of the title card was incorrectly spelled as "Stephen Hilleburg." *Squidward cleans up the graffiti which has an arrow on it, but in the next scene, the arrow is missing. It isn't likely that Squidward cleaned it up since he was looking at SpongeBob at the time. *The last time SpongeBob says, "I'm ready!", his collar turns red. *In the Krusty Krab, all doors to the left of the cash register aren't there. When Mr. Krabs goes to his office, he goes to the right. *When Mr. Krabs jumps every time he says, "Hip, hip!", his white undershirt disappears for less than a second. *When Patrick convinces SpongeBob to go back and ask for a job, if one looks closely, one can see brush strokes. *When SpongeBob arrived with the Hydro-Spatula, Squidward's skin changes from blue to white. *When SpongeBob bounces, he has no pants or shoes. *SpongeBob doesn't have a hole on the upper left corner of his head. References #^ Coleman, Eric (2003). The Origin of SpongeBob SquarePants. SpongeBob SquarePants: The Complete First Season (DVD). Paramount Home Entertainment. #^ a b Hecht, Albie (2003). The Origin of SpongeBob SquarePants. SpongeBob SquarePants: The Complete First Season (DVD). Paramount Home Entertainment. #^ a b SpongeBob Coming Soon. Zap 2 It (1999-05-31). Retrieved on 2008-04-27. #^ a b Gates, Anita. "Television / Radio; The Tide Pool as Talent Pool (It Had to Happen)", The New York Times, 1999-07-11. Retrieved on 2008-04-26. #^ a b Banks, p. 8 #^ IMDB rating #^ TV.com rating External links *Help Wanted at the Internet Movie Database *[1] at TV.com *Watch Help Wanted online *Help Wanted promo (July 1999)